New Delhi can't interfere, but can persuade: Shashi Tharoor on Bangladesh unrest

Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor, has urged the Centre to try and persuade the Bangladesh government to take “constructive steps” to curb violence against minorities.

Tharoor's statement comes against the backdrop of brutal lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu youth who worked as a garment factory worker, by a mob over alleged blasphemy in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh.

Asked what options India has with regard to the incident and the rise of anti-India rhetoric in the neighbouring country in an interview, Tharoor said that while New Delhi cannot interfere in Bangladesh's domestic affairs, it could exercise diplomatic influence in Dhaka as a country “which has contributed in many ways” to the Bangladeshi nation.

“India cannot interfere in the domestic affairs of a neighbouring country. But as a country which has contributed in many ways to the Bangladeshi nation and people, we can certainly exercise our diplomatic influence in Dhaka to persuade the (Yunus) government to take constructive steps,” Tharoor told the Indian Express.

Tharoor, expressing concern over the situation, advocated for peace and democracy in the neighbouring country. "Such mob rule should not prevail. The Parliamentary Standing Committee has also said that we want good relations with Bangladesh, and peace should be maintained there," he said.

"Elections are also going to be held there in February, and we want democracy to return there, but the way the situation is going there is very concerning... Such a situation is not good for both countries; we want peace there," he added.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP also commended the Narendra Modi government for its handling of the Bangladesh situation following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster on August 5 last year, but also urged it to support forces working to establish an inclusive democracy in the eastern neighbourhood.

In an earlier post, Tharoor questioned the Bangladeshi regime about actions against perpetrators and measures to prevent such incidents. In a post on X, Tharoor wrote, "An unbearably tragic incident amid the mob rule that is raging across Bangladesh. While mourning the loss of this poor Hindu man at the hands of unspeakable criminals, I appreciate the condemnation issued by the Government of Bangladesh..."

The unrest in Bangladesh was triggered by the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, who was allegedly shot by two masked assailants in Dhaka, infuriating mobs to target media institutions and minorities.